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A U.S. Department of Justice PublicationBy Ryan Turner & Rachel Kosa
This article forms part of an initiative to make important, insightful andengaging public domain works freely available. See following links toaccess material that has already been published under this initiative.
http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/forensic-science-ebook.html http://www.all-about-psychology.com/psychology-ebook.html http://www.all-about-psychology.com/psychology-journal-articles.html http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com/forensic-psychology-ebook.html
 
 
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Why Cases Get Cold
Conventional wisdom in homicide investigations holds that speed is of the essence.The notion is that any case that is not solved or that lacks significant leads and witnessparticipation within the first 72 hours has little likelihood of being solved, regardless of 
the expertise and resources deployed. Over time, unsolved cases become “cold.” Cases
most likely to be classified as cold include gang- and drug-related deaths; casesinvolving immigrants, transients, and homeless or unidentified people; unclassifieddeaths; and unsolved police shootings.Cold cases are among the most difficult and frustrating cases detectives face. Thesecases are, in effect, cases that other investigators, for whatever reason, could notsolve. Law enforcement agencies, regardless of size, are not immune to rising crimerates, staff shortages, and budget restrictions. Rising crime rates can tax theinvestigative and administrative resources of an agency. More crime may mean thatfewer cases are pursued vigorously, fewer opportunities arise for followup, orindividual caseloads increase for already overworked detectives. Transfers,retirements, and other personnel changes may force departments to rely on younger,less experienced investigators to work cases, often unsuccessfully.An increase in homicide rates can increase the caseloads for the staff of crime labs and
county coroners’ and medical examiners’ offices. This, in turn, can lead to reports that
are delayed for months, increased chances for error, and overlooked evidence.Support services, if available at all, may be spread thin during high-profile cases thatforce investigative labs to expend large amounts of manpower disproportionately.These overloads can either slow investigations or discourage some detectives fromusing the support services at all. Criminalists and evidence technicians can also facebacklogs that prevent them both from attending all crime scenes and from conductingprompt followup work. As a result, crucial scientific evidence, especially blood andtrace evidence, goes uncollected. Investigators with heavy caseloads may be forced torely on photographs of evidence or on witness testimony, which may be stronglychallenged by defense attorneys.
 
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All the obstacles that hamper homicide investigations in their early phases contributeto cold cases. Cold cases may even allow more murders to be committed. People whohave killed once, if not arrested, may continue to kill. Police failure to solve murdercases and to put the offenders behind bars often leaves the community feelinghelpless. If they feel the police are not doing their job in protecting the community andwitnesses of crimes, members of the community may also be less willing to cooperatewith police.
How Cold Case Squads Work
A cold case squad may be a viable option for a jurisdiction that is plagued by asignificant number of unsolved murders. Some cold case squads are formed becausethe volume of new cases or police initiatives prevents any work from being done onold cases. Some squads are formed out of convenience when a decline in new murdercases provides departments with the personnel and other resources necessary tobegin investigating old cases.The specific duties of cold case squads may vary among law enforcement agencies.Nearly all of these squads review and continue the investigation of unsolved homicidesor suspected homicides in which the lead detective initially assigned has retired,transferred, or otherwise left the case. Cold case squads can be especially useful inlocating and working with past and potential witnesses and reviewing physicalevidence to identify suspects. The squads may investigate unsolved homicidescurrently assigned to a homicide detective when deemed necessary by supervisors -usually when the lead detective has exhausted all leads. Cold case squads also performan outreach and networking role by assisting other jurisdictions with homicideinvestigations as appropriate.The most important component of cold case squads is personnel; the squads musthave the right mix of investigative and supervisory talent. The staffing model used forcold case squads is determined mainly by whether the squad works full- or part-time
and whether it is based within a police agency or a prosecutor’s office. Cold
casesquads can consist of any of the following:
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